Back in the Water, Baby!
In route to Phocon I stopped along the way in Syracuse to play a couple of rounds of tag (Force). If Armageddon was like laser tag Jaws then two weeks should be enough time for me to get back in the water (I did need to lay low for some recovery time).
There was a nice vibe of familiarity going back for a regular night of laser tag. One girl came up to me right away and said "Tivia, you haven't been here in forever!"
I noted that in actuality it has really only been two weeks, but I appreciate that my absence was noticed. I also appreciated this little exchange...
"What do we charge Tivia these days?"
"Whatever the gold member rate is. Depends on when she shows up. If she gets here after 9:30 I don't even charge her."
If I haven't recognized it already (which is possible since I have no idea what the rates even are...only that I'm happy to play here) I just want to say thanks for taking such good care of me as a player. Also, I want to wish these same guys all the best of luck in next week's Laserforce NATS (just in case I don't get back to say so before you all leave for Colorado).
Now, back into the water...
Honestly, I have higher expectations for myself than what I brought to the party tonight. Maybe I'm just wading back into the water?
For the first couple of games, although I was playing with a couple of the serious players (who I suspect were not playing all that seriously tonight) and some seriously NOT serious players (very young level one kids...who I simply do not even want to zap regardless of being signed in), I can't say that this night was my best showing on any front. I'm reminded of a line that only half of my peeps will remember..."Who is this tense and negative person? Who are you?" And if you know the line, you know the answer. I told myself "you are better than this, time to show it". But as I sat and cogitated between rounds I decided that I actually don't need to show it or feel like I have anything to prove (to myself or anyone else). I just need to return to a time when I played just to play for "fun" rather than "prep" or "improvement". I think I need to just have a night where I don't even look at the score...even though that goes against every competitive bone currently holding my body up!
Thankfully, this is a pitstop on the way to exactly the kind of weekend I probably need where I can disregard numbers entirely and play just to enjoy playing. I am escaping real life (again) and going to play some old school Photon. I also plan to meet up with a friend for some Darklight while I'm there. The beauty of both these systems is I have no expectations, which does afford me a sort of freedom to just enjoy the experience again. I am not going into either game for any competitive reason. I suspect this is the ingredient that will bring back the fun.
That is not to say I didn't have fun tonight...I did and I always do. It's just that some nights it just gels better than others and two weeks away suddenly feels like maybe I have been away "forever"...but for the rest of this weekend I set that all aside and now it's off to Phocon (after a quick but crucial stop at Burger King for sustenance)!
Comments or questions? Contact: tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com
Websites: www.tiviachickloveslasertag.com and www.photonforever.com
Blog: tiviachickloveslasertag.blogspot.com
